Fundamentals of Life and Natural Selection

These flashcards cover key concepts discussed in the lecture on life fundamentals and natural selection.

Natural Selection

The process through which advantageous traits become more common in a population due to improved survival and reproduction rates.

Camouflage

A trait that allows organisms to blend into their environment, making them less visible to predators.

Carbon Bonds

Carbon's ability to form four covalent bonds, enabling the formation of complex and stable molecules needed for life.

Biodiversity

The variety of life found on Earth, ranging from simple microbes to complex animals.

Predation Simulation

An interactive lab activity that demonstrates natural selection by simulating the predation of organisms with varying traits.

Evolution

The process by which species change over time through the mechanisms of natural selection and genetic variation.

Selectivity Pressure

Environmental factors that affect an organism's ability to survive and reproduce.

Interactive Lab

A hands-on educational activity designed to engage students in the learning process actively.

Hypothesis-driven Thinking

Encouraging predictions and reasoning before experimentation to foster deeper understanding of scientific concepts.

Natural Selection

The process through which advantageous traits become more common in a population due to improved survival and reproduction rates.

Camouflage

A trait that allows organisms to blend into their environment, making them less visible to predators.

Carbon Bonds

Carbon's ability to form four covalent bonds, enabling the formation of complex and stable molecules needed for life.

Biodiversity

The variety of life found on Earth, ranging from simple microbes to complex animals.

Predation Simulation

An interactive lab activity that demonstrates natural selection by simulating the predation of organisms with varying traits.

Evolution

The process by which species change over time through the mechanisms of natural selection and genetic variation.

Selectivity Pressure

Environmental factors that affect an organism's ability to survive and reproduce.

Interactive Lab

A hands-on educational activity designed to engage students in the learning process actively.

Hypothesis-driven Thinking

Encouraging predictions and reasoning before experimentation to foster deeper understanding of scientific concepts.

Adaptation

A trait or characteristic that helps an organism survive and reproduce more effectively in its specific environment.

Genetic Variation

Differences in the DNA sequences among individuals within a population, which are essential for natural selection to occur.

Evolutionary Fitness

An organism's relative ability to survive and produce fertile offspring in a given environment, contributing to the next generation's gene pool.

Natural Selection

The process through which advantageous traits become more common in a population due to improved survival and reproduction rates.

Camouflage

A trait that allows organisms to blend into their environment, making them less visible to predators.

Carbon Bonds

Carbon's ability to form four covalent bonds, enabling the formation of complex and stable molecules needed for life.

Biodiversity

The variety of life found on Earth, ranging from simple microbes to complex animals.

Predation Simulation

An interactive lab activity that demonstrates natural selection by simulating the predation of organisms with varying traits.

Evolution

The process by which species change over time through the mechanisms of natural selection and genetic variation.

Selectivity Pressure

Environmental factors that affect an organism's ability to survive and reproduce.

Interactive Lab

A hands-on educational activity designed to engage students in the learning process actively.

Hypothesis-driven Thinking

Encouraging predictions and reasoning before experimentation to foster deeper understanding of scientific concepts.

Adaptation

A trait or characteristic that helps an organism survive and reproduce more effectively in its specific environment.

Genetic Variation

Differences in the DNA sequences among individuals within a population, which are essential for natural selection to occur.

Evolutionary Fitness

An organism's relative ability to survive and produce fertile offspring in a given environment, contributing to the next generation's gene pool.

Mutation

A change in the DNA sequence that can introduce new genetic variations into a population.

Genetic Drift

Random fluctuations in the frequency of gene variants (alleles) in a population, especially prominent in small populations.

Speciation

The process by which one original species diverges into two or more new species over time.

Artificial Selection

The process by which humans breed organisms for particular desirable traits.

Natural Selection

The process through which advantageous traits become more common in a population due to improved survival and reproduction rates.

Camouflage

A trait that allows organisms to blend into their environment, making them less visible to predators.

Carbon Bonds

Carbon's ability to form four covalent bonds, enabling the formation of complex and stable molecules needed for life.

Biodiversity

The variety of life found on Earth, ranging from simple microbes to complex animals.

Predation Simulation

An interactive lab activity that demonstrates natural selection by simulating the predation of organisms with varying traits.

Evolution

The process by which species change over time through the mechanisms of natural selection and genetic variation.

Selectivity Pressure

Environmental factors that affect an organism's ability to survive and reproduce.

Interactive Lab

A hands-on educational activity designed to engage students in the learning process actively.

Hypothesis-driven Thinking

Encouraging predictions and reasoning before experimentation to foster deeper understanding of scientific concepts.

Adaptation

A trait or characteristic that helps an organism survive and reproduce more effectively in its specific environment.

Genetic Variation

Differences in the DNA sequences among individuals within a population, which are essential for natural selection to occur.

Evolutionary Fitness

An organism's relative ability to survive and produce fertile offspring in a given environment, contributing to the next generation's gene pool.

Mutation

A change in the DNA sequence that can introduce new genetic variations into a population.

Genetic Drift

Random fluctuations in the frequency of gene variants (alleles) in a population, especially prominent in small populations.

Speciation

The process by which one original species diverges into two or more new species over time.

Artificial Selection

The process by which humans breed organisms for particular desirable traits.

Gene Flow

The transfer of genetic material from one population to another, typically through migration and interbreeding, which can alter allele frequencies.

Sexual Selection

A type of natural selection where individuals with certain inherited characteristics are more likely to obtain mates, leading to the evolution of traits that enhance mating success.

Coevolution

The process by which two or more species evolve in response to changes in each other, often seen in predator-prey relationships or symbiotic interactions.

Homologous Structures

Structures in different species that are similar because of common ancestry, but may have different functions (e.g., bat wing and human arm).

Vestigial Structures

Remnant structures that have lost their original function over evolutionary time (e.g., human appendix, whale pelvis), providing evidence of common ancestry.